1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projector and a lamp information management method used for it, and in particular, to a light source and its surrounding structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
As for projectors, there are transmissive and reflective liquid crystal projectors utilizing LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) devices, DLP (Digital Light Processing) projectors utilizing DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) devices and so on.
FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of the projector. In FIG. 6, the power supplied from a power supply 4 to the projector proper is supplied to a ballast circuit 6 for emitting light from a lamp 1 and a main circuit 11 for creating a picture signal and so on via a power supply circuit 5. The ballast circuit 6 is connected to the lamp 1 in a detachable lamp unit 8 via an electrical connector 7 so as to emit the light from the lamp 1.
A picture signal 101 is inputted to the main circuit 11 from the outside, and an image is created by driving a liquid crystal panel (not shown) in an optical engine 2 based on the created picture signal so as to enlarge it with a projection lens 3 and project it onto a screen (not shown).
Such a projector has a fault that the brightness of the lamp 1 is reduced and a projected image becomes darker as operating time becomes longer. For this reason, it is necessary to replace the lamp 1 with a new one after adequate operating time.
Conventionally, a method of informing a user of replacement time of the lamp 1 is to count the operating time with a timer built into the projector proper and emit the light from a lamp replacement indicator lamp provided to the projector proper when exceeding the time stored on the projector proper so as to prompt the replacement.
As for the above-mentioned lamp replacement method, however, it is necessary to reset a timer of the projector proper when the user replaces the lamp earlier than predetermined lamp replacement time. And so there is a problem that, in the case where the reset operation is neglected, the projector proper adds the operating time of the replaced lamp to the operating time so far, and consequently prompts the lamp replacement even though the operating time of the replaced lamp is remaining.
In order to avoid it, it is thinkable to use a method of installing a sensor for detecting a set state of the lamp and having the timer automatically reset by the projector proper when the lamp is replaced. However, there is a problem that, if the user removes the lamp from the projector proper for the sake of checking the lamp, the projector proper detects it as a replacement by a new lamp.
In addition, in the case where the user is appropriately using a plurality of lamps in order to obtain desired brightness, it is not possible to count the operating time for each lamp. Furthermore, there is a problem that, as each individual lamp may be subtly different in light emission characteristics, the brightness and coloration may vary depending on the lamp to be set.
Hence, an example of means for informing a user of replacement time of the lump has been disclosed in a Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.2000-267061 (hereafter referred to as a document 1).
The technique disclosed in the document 1 is that a lamp and a memory are provided in the lamp unit. The operating time of the lamp is stored in the memory. The contents of the memory, that is, the operating time of the lamp are displayed on the counter provided in the lamp unit. Then, a user can recognize the operating time of the lamp by looking at the counter.
On the contrary, in the present invention, though the memory in which the operating time of the lamp is stored in the lamp unit as the document 1, a projector proper itself performs controlling of the emitting light from the lamp or the prompting lamp replacement according to the display of the counter. Then, the technique disclosed in the document 1 is quite different from the present invention.
In addition, other documents similar to the document 1 have been disclosed in a Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.2002-010177 and No.2000-112024.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide the projector capable of solving the above problems and correctly informing the user of the replacement time of the lamp to significantly improve performance and operation reliability and lamp information management method used for it.
The projector according to the present invention has an optical engine for generating an image with optical means utilizing light of a light source and an electronic device driven by an electrical signal and a projection lens for enlarging and projecting a generated image thereof, wherein a unit construction having the above described light source mounted therein and removable from a projector proper and storage means placed in the above described unit construction for storing electrical information are provided.
The lamp information management method according to the present invention is that of the projector having the optical engine for generating the image with optical means utilizing the light of the light source and the electronic device driven by the electrical signal and the projection lens for enlarging and projecting the generated image thereof, wherein the storage means for storing the electrical information on the above described lamp is placed in the unit construction having the above described light source mounted therein and removable from the projector proper.
To be more specific, the projector according to the present invention has the optical engine for generating the image with the optical means utilizing the light of the light source and the electronic device driven by the electrical signal and the projection lens for enlarging and projecting the generated image thereof, and is equipped with the unit construction having the light source mounted therein and removable from the projector proper and the storage means placed in the unit construction for electrically storing information.
The projector according to the present invention has operating time of the lamp, a type or a serial number, light emission characteristics of the lamp or color correction information on a projected image and so on stored by the storage means.
Thus, as for the projector according to the present invention, the unit construction for accommodating the light source is removable from the projector proper, and the storage means for storing the electrical information is provided in the unit construction capable of lamp replacement from the projector proper so as to have the operating time of the lamp stored.
As this storage means is provided in the unit construction, there is always a one-to-one relationship between the stored information and the lamp even if the lamp is replaced. Accordingly, even if the lamp is removed from the projector proper and is set again thereafter, the projector proper can read the operating time of the set lamp so that it can always inform the user of appropriate replacement time for the set lamp.
To be more specific, it is possible, just by setting the lamp on the projector proper, to inform the user of the appropriate replacement time of the lamp even in the case where the lamp is removed from the set before reaching the replacement time or a plurality of replacement lamps are appropriately used.
As for the projector according to the present invention, the contents to be stored by the storage means are a type or a serial number of the lamp so that, even in the case where the lamp of another model is mistakenly set on the projector proper, the projector proper can read the type or a serial number of the lamp before light emitting operation of the lamp. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the light emitting operation of the lamp.
It is possible, by this action, to significantly improve reliability of the lamp. And it is also possible, while the connector form and/or lamp unit structure were/was changed for each model in the past, to standardize the structures.
Furthermore, as for the projector according to the present invention, the contents to be stored by the storage means are the light emission characteristics of the lamp so that, even in the case where there are individual differences in the light emission characteristics of the lamp or in the case of a subsequently developed lamp, the projector proper can read the light emission characteristics of the lamp. Therefore, it is possible to control brightness and coloration of the projected image according to the characteristics of each individual lamp.